Touching bases with Ōtaki MP Nathan Guy during lockdown

Nathan Guy on a Zoom call.

Most people are holed up at home during the Covid 19 coronavirus nationwide lockdown including Ōtaki MP Nathan Guy. Kāpiti News editor David Haxton checked in with the hardworking MP to see how things were going.

Whereabouts are you bunkering down during lockdown?

At the farm, near Levin.

Who is in the Guy bubble?

Erica, Henry, Frankie and Jeremy and me.

What is daily life like in the Guy household?

We are playing a lot of family games like bananagrams, outdoor activities like planting trees on the farm and reading the odd book.

Frankie, Henry, Jeremy and Nathan Guy plant some boysenberries.

Trying to minimise device time can be a bit of a challenge.

What is your take on the whole Covid 19 coronavirus situation?

It's really important that testing is ramped up to get the best picture of the number of cases in each community.

This appears to have been ad hoc with different messages from the Prime Minister and what's testing is actually happening in each community.

How are you keeping in contact with your parliamentary colleagues?

Normally have a conference call or Zoom meeting every couple of days.

Text messages are also important.

Workwise what are you generally doing during this time?

Constituent queries have increased.

The general nature is related to Covid 19 issues - health, employee subsidy, helping businesses etc.

Any special projects around the property you're tackling during spare time?

Gardening, packing up our swimming pool, working on my memorial for my late father Malcolm.

Henry and Frankie Guy dismantle the family pool.

I'm also quietly sussing out good hiding places for an Easter egg hunt.

What is your message to the Kāpiti Horowhenua community?

While the lockdown is frustrating it's needed to reduce the community transmission to protect everyone.

This is about flattening our peak so our health services can cope and getting back to our normal life as quickly as possible.

Staying inside your bubble is your best protection.

Anyone who experiences symptoms should immediately self-isolate from others in their bubble, contact healthline or their GP.